Why Chip Kidd Hates The All Star Superman Cover

A presentation by Chip Kidd on designing the All Star logos for DC Comics has found new prominence.

He first talks about the process (12 minutes in) then on first seeing Frank Quitely’s cover art for issue 1. (19 minutes in)

With a few quotes;

“You didn’t tell me in this one that Superman’s gay!”

“This looks like if you’re the set photographer for the new Superman movie, and they’re setting up the shot over there and so you just have to kill time so you say “Oh Mr Superman would you just like sit over here on this cloud and I’ll just do a publicity photo for the downtime of the movie.””

“And then the Batman art comes in. Which has the total opposite problem.”

“Could it be any busier? To say nothing of the fact that Robin is kicking Batman in the penis.”

“Frank Miller by the way hated the Superman cover, cos he had nothing to do with it and he said to me that this says “Superman’s saying I can fly and you can’t!””

But there’s suddenly been some recent tweet action which kicked off a flurry of traffic.

Bernito Cereno: I finally watched part of that Chip Kidd video. I don’t understand how anyone of any intelligence could dislike the All-Star Supes #1 cover.

David Allen Jones: Oh man. He’s an undeniably great designer, but he could not have interpreted that more incorrectly. Ouch.

Bernito Cereno: Yes, exactly.

David Allen Jones: And he has to be so fucking snide about it, too.

Bernito Cereno: When he put the image of the cover up on screen and the audience hoots with laughter, my heart just shattered.

Bernito Cereno: Unless they believe it to be, like, a taco made of phone booths.

Dean Trippe: hahahaha. I know. He’s made the exact opposite interpretation of its intended meaning. Nonsensical would be better.

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